Forgotten Dynasty Veterans: Top Tier
Whether it’s the yin to its yang, the heads to its tails, or perhaps just the other side of the pillow, I’m authoring this miniseries as a supplement to the Forgotten Dynasty Youth miniseries which just concluded. You might think this represents the short straw of the two, given that veterans are often persona non grata in a largely ageist dynasty culture. However, to me, veterans represent a very important subset of football players, as often you can find bargains relative to the shiny new toys.
So how am I defining veterans? It’s a bit of a gray area. You can use years in the league, age, or wear and tear, with the latter particularly important at the running back position. However, we already know that players like Davante Adams and Mike Evans have relatively lower ADPs as compared to younger players who produce similarly solely due to their age, but that doesn’t mean they’re “forgotten.” So using age or any other single metric doesn’t seem appropriate to me. But one way or another, these will be guys who have been around the block at least a few times, and who I think may have fallen a bit off the radar.
Where there will be structure is in the tiers, which will be threefold and as follows:
- Top Tier: ADP < 84.0 (first seven rounds of a 12-team startup draft)
- Middle Tier: ADP > 84.1 and < 168.0 (rounds eight through 14 in a startup draft)
- Bottom Tier: ADP > 168.1 (the rest)
I’ll be looking at four players per tier. Let’s get started with the top tier!
Josh Jacobs, RB GB
ADP: 45.2
Age: 27 years
Years in League: Six
I remember looking at Jacobs’ seasonal stats, with one season in particular, and thinking – that’s a blip! It turns out I may have been correct, only a year off.
Though the comparisons likely begin and end at the collegiate uniform, Jacobs is beginning to remind me of former Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry. Yes, I’m aware it’s blasphemous to make such an association, given the veteran’s size, speed, and longevity. But while Jacobs may lack the same physical profile, he’s been fed the rock to a similar degree. To that point, the Packer ball carrier has averaged 20.4 touches per game over his six-year career, with 21.3 touches per game over the past three seasons. In doing so he’s been a seasonal PPR RB1 four times, cresting as the PPR RB3 in 2022.
